Enhancements & New Projects 2018 Draft Plan Brings Three Trails and a Bridge!
Marin County Open Space District released their 2018 Draft Work Plan this week and it includes three new bike-legal trail projects. After working on projects in Southern Marin (Val Vista, Octopus, Bob Middagh trails) and West marin (Boulder Springs, Contour, Candalerro and Hunt Camp trails), Open Space will focus on expanding North Marin’s network of trails in 2018. Here are the projects that will benefit bicyclists:
Eagle Rim Trail
Known by locals as “Fence-Line”, this Novato trail starts near the top of Mt Burdell, heads west along an old ranch fence and then drops onto Deer Camp Fire Road. The narrow social trail will be adopted as a hiker/biker system trail and will receive modest improvements at the top and bottom to address erosion. Most of the trail will remain as is. The adoption of this trail will provide a loop option on Mt Burdell and will add another mile to Marin’s bike-legal trail network. Please take a moment now to review the Eagle Rim Trail Project Description and submit comments of support here.
(Please act today – comment period closes on April 5, 2018)
Blue Oak Trail
This project will connect the Bahia Trail to the Bahia Ridge Fire Road in the Rush Creek Open Space Preserve. When the trail is complete it will create a loop between the shoreline trail and the ridge top fire road, something lacking for all visitors at that preserve.
Ponti Fire Road to Trail Converstion
Planning will get underway for a road to trail conversion of the Ponti Fire Road near Marinwood. This project will create a bookend trail at the Eastern side of Big Rock Ridge, complementing the Big Rock Trail to the west. Currently all routes from Ignacio and Marinwood up to the Big Rock Ridge are extremely steep (20-30% grade) and unpleasant. This project will create an alignment that keeps the grade at 10% or less and will have spectacular views.
Bridges in Cascade Canyon
Work continues on the project to place bridges over two creek crossings in the Cascade Canyon Open Space Preserve in Fairfax. In 2016 Marin County Parks approved the MCBC/Friends of Corte Madera Creek Watershed proposal to construct two recreational multi-use bridges and adopt a change-in-use on a segment of the Canyon Trail in Cascade Canyon Open Space Preserve. This follows from an effort to reduce the impact to steelhead, which are federally protected and spawn in San Anselmo Creek.
Additional Enhancements to Existing Trails
If you’ve ridden the Old Railroad Grade Trail between White Hill School and the Brown Bridge in Fairfax, you know it suffered failures following the 2017 winter rain. Open Space will repair a number of washouts and reroute a rutted switchback. Additionally, Conifer Fire Road will be treated with a rock base to reduce muddy conditions in wet winters.
A complete list of Marin Open Space projects can be found on the Marin County Parks website.
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